'Your heartbeat will always live here inside of us'

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelo

"Ronnie did her best to change the part of the world that God put her in," said Jeff Corbett, the long-time sound technician who Ronnie Beith relied on heavily over the last decade and a half.

Ronnie Beith was the Franklin events coordinator, the person who put the community's stamp on everything she touched. She created a legacy of events and entertainment small towns the size of Franklin don't usually get. Thursday night through a tribute concert at Bandstand Park, the community thanked and remembered Ronnie for, not just everything she did, but how she made them feel.

Franklin lost its greatest champion this past winter when Ronnie just couldn't battle her failing body anymore. After a heart issue a few years back she continued to work tirelessly function on only about 30% of her heart. However 30% of Ronnie Beith's heart was still four times the size of most.

Hundreds of people turned out for a concert by performers from one of Ronnie's favorite events - the annual Taste of Talent vocal competition. (Disclaimer every event was one of Ronnie's favorites. They were all like her children.)

Along with a song, most performers shared something about how Ronnie had touched their lives through her words or her actions. Had Ronnie been there, she would've deflected humbly. Then she would have put her hands to her heart and just loved that people came to honor her by sharing their talents once again to a park full of community members that she likely knew most by name.  Likely helped in some way or another. 100s of them. 

There weren't too many people who loved music more Ronnie. And there likely wasn't anyone who championed local talent to reach beyond themselves to succeed as much as she did. She would do anything she could to help.

​That's why there were tears... lots of tears. All night long.
​
The show opened with a flashmob style performance of the Franklin All-star cheerleaders followed by the organizers Nathaniel Licht, Tammi Dahl-Matthews and Rachael Mellor singing "Amazing Grace," one of Ronnie's favorite gospel songs.

Then Joey Lillard told about the song he sang years ago during a Taste of Talent competition. He remembered Ronnie gushing over his choice to sing Elton John's "Your Song."  She told him how that song was important to her and her husband Bill.

As Lillard told this story lumps were already forming in the throats of audience members.

​Joni Zacherl then delivered a powerful performance, worthy of another Taste of Talent championship, of " Someone to Watch over Me." She told the crowd that despite the theme of the song being about romance, the title was fitting with Ronnie still looking over us.

These two performers were prime examples of Ronnie's legacy. Past Taste of Talent winners still out there delivering to the community in big ways. 

Hunter Cook just came out to play for Ronnie. He admitted he hadn't played in about two years, but wanted to sing a Ronnie favorite - John Denver's "Country Roads." He then got the whole crowd to sing along with him. Something that, if you had watched Ronnie over the years, you'd see her singing right along too.

Tyler Carson credited Ronnie for giving him the confidence to become an artist. He and Kaylene Dunkle performed a powerful duet of "All I Ask of You."

Then the tears really started flowing when Taste of Talent veteran Tim Craver took the stage.

Soon after Ronnie's death Craver took pen to paper to honor Ronnie by reworking the words of Elton John's "Candle in the Wind." He was encouraged to perform his version for the tribute concert crowd. "Goodbye Franklin's Rose" set the tone for the rest of the words, some Taupin/John, some Craver.
"...​You called out to our city
And you brought us together again... 
And your heartbeat will always live here, 
​Inside of us who love you still... 
All our words cannot express, 
The joy you brought us through the years... 
Goodbye, Franklin’s Rose
May you ever grow in our hearts... 
From a city lost without your soul, 
Who miss the wings of your compassion, 
More than you will ever know.... 
Your candle’s burned out long before, 
​Your legend ever will."

Probably no other words expressed the evening better than "And your heartbeat will always live here, inside of us."

Ashleigh Bennett performed an original song. First she told a story about Ronnie encouraging her to perform that would likely help her win the Taste of Talent and that original songs aren't familiar to the voting audience and often don't result in votes.
Bennett said she decided to perform her own composition, titled "Reflections," anyway. Ronnie approached her afterwards giving her a hug and thanking her for not listening to her prior advice. She was then one of Ashleigh's biggest fans. "Thanks for believing in me Ronnie," Bennett said.

Chris Miller brought up a band including Licht and Rachel Mellor to sing "Heaven." He told the crowd after intruding everyone, "Ronnie would’ve loved seeing us all collaborating on this."

Ruth Herrick, a recent Taste of Talent participant who came back to singing after losing her husband, was a
recent favorite of Ronnie's and the feeling was mutual. She said how she, like many others, met Ronnie and loved her immediately. "She is, was and always will be the wind beneath my wings," 
After she performed the Bette Midler classic "Wind Beneath my Wings," the crowd gave her a round of applause. "I love you Ronnie," she said.

Past Taste champion, Ian Best, like almost every other performer, had a story that involved a Ronnie hug. His rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" moved Ronnie who made sure he knew that. He picked that song to sing at the tribute in part because of that, but also because the lyrics reflect someone who is always there for you. "Ronnie was the constant for all of us, for the entire community. Ronnie was the constant for everything around here."

Licht then performed the gospel number "There was Jesus" that Ronnie loved with Joe Thompson and  Anna Lehnortt. "She loved without restriction," Licht said. "She greeted everyone like family. She treated everyone like her own children... I hope you leave here tonight with that love in your heart."

Another past champion Randy Moorehead brought back a story about his performance of Bette Midler's "The Rose" where he passed out roses to important people in the crowd saving the last one for Ronnie. He chose to sing that song again, this time holding one rose that he eventually placed on an empty chair positioned where Ronnie always sat.

​Mellor later said she was holding herself together pretty well up to that point. A lot of tears were shed at that moment.

The second Taste of Talent winner Kevin Downing, along with his current singing partner Brianna Erdman, sang "The Prayer." Licht described as one of the most popular Taste of Talent songs over the years.

Closing out the evening, the long-time sound guru Corbett strapped on his guitar and was joined by a band including his son Tony, lifelong friend Nelson Porter, and Licht.
Corbett talked about his 15 years working with Ronnie. "All of Ronnie’s ideas and dreams... It’s been a privilege." ​

They chose to sing an Eric Clapton tune called "If I Could Change the World." Corbett said the world is a big place and that the best we can hope to do is change the part of where we live, and that's something that was Ronnie.

At the end of the concert, all past performers from Taste of talent were invited up on stage for a "We are the World"-style rendition of "Lean on Me." 

Mellor said the last words of the night to cap the whole tribute off... "We love you Ronnie."

Editor's note: This story was edited from the original. We inadvertently left out the YMCA cheerleaders in our initial post. Our apologies.